Consumers trust supermarkets more than restaurants when buying meat

The YouGov data released by BPEX, who represent pig levy payers in England, also claims only 17% trust meat served in fast-food outlets, with 44% of those surveyed saying they “do not trust very much.”

This compares to 70% of shoppers who say they trust the meat they buy in supermarkets either a lot or fair amount.

National Pig Association chairman Richard Lister said:“Since Horsegate in 2013, supermarkets have worked hard to restore trust by sourcing more British meat and labelling the fact clearly — and their strategy is obviously working,”

Buy British message

He adds: “If foodservice companies want the public to trust them to a similar degree, the answer is staring them in the face. They should copy the retailers and serve British meat instead of imported meat from continental cold stores.”

Many foodservice outlets in Britain already have a British-only rule for the fresh pork they serve, but don’t tell their customers.

NPA chief executive Dr Zoe Davies said: “When restaurants and fast-food outlets make a point of sourcing British, they should always say so on their menus and in their advertising, and if they do, their customers will respond positively.”

The YouGov survey also found over 80 percent of shoppers want supermarkets to continue stocking high levels of British meat to maintain consumer confidence following the 2013 Horsegate outrage.